Tournament field set for PAC Women's Volleyball Championship

Tournament field set for PAC Women's Volleyball Championship

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2016 PAC Women's Volleyball Championship Tournament
Tuesday, November 1
First Round
6:30 p.m. #6 Grove City at #3 Geneva Methany Fieldhouse - Beaver Falls, Pa.
7 p.m. #5 Westminster at #4 W&J Henry Memorial Center - Washington, Pa.
Friday, November 4
Semifinal Round
6 p.m. (1) Winner of #4 W&J/#5 Westminster vs. #1 Bethany Nutting Gymnasium - Bethany, W.Va.
8 p.m. (2) Winner of #3 Geneva/#6 Grove City vs. #2 Thomas More Nutting Gymnasium - Bethany, W.Va.
Saturday, November 5
Championship Match
6 p.m. Winner of Semifinal 1 vs. winner of Semifinal 2 Nutting Gymnasium - Bethany, W.Va.

GREENVILLE, Pa. (pacathletics.org) –The Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) announced Saturday evening that the six-team field for its Women's Volleyball Championship Tournament has been set. The conference’s championship tournament, which begins Tuesday, November 1 at campus sites, will crown this year’s PAC champion that will receive the league's automatic qualifying bid to the NCAA Division III Championships the following week.

Bethany College (23-11, 16-2 PAC) earned the top seed and hosting rights for the semifinal and championship rounds of this year’s tournament. The Bison, led by 10th-year head coach Courtney Kline, secured their first number one seed since 2013. It is the program’s sixth-straight year making an appearance in the semifinal round.  Bethany is playing for its first-ever league championship.

Four-time defending league champion Thomas More College (20-9, 16-2 PAC) enters the championship tournament as the number two seed. The Saints and ninth-year head coach John Spinney will be looking to secure the program's seventh league championship. Thomas More has appeared in each of the last 12 championship tournaments since joining the league in 2005.

Geneva College (21-11, 15-3 PAC) and 17th-year head coach Wendy Smith have secured the tournament’s number three seed. The Golden Tornadoes, making their sixth-straight appearance in the championship tournament since becoming a full NCAA Division III member in 2011, have advanced to the semifinal round in each of the last three seasons. Geneva claimed the conference title in 2011.  

Washington & Jefferson College (19-9, 11-7 PAC), led by fifth-year head coach Brooke Turner, enters the championship tournament as the number four seed. The Presidents, earning a spot in the tournament for the third-straight year, will host a first-round match for the first time since 2009. W&J has claimed six PAC titles, winning its most recent in 2005.

Westminster College (15-16, 8-10 PAC) and 24th-year head coach Tammy Swearingen have claimed the number five seed. The Titans have appeared in 15-straight championship tournament fields and have won three PAC titles, with the most recent coming in 2008.

Grove City College (11-20, 8-10 PAC), led by third-year head coach Erin Street, earned a spot in the championship tournament for the fourth time in the last five years. The Wolverines own a league-best nine PAC championships, last winning the title in 2000.   

The single-elimination tournament gets underway Tuesday with a pair of first-round matches. Third-seeded Geneva will host sixth-seeded Grove City at 6:30 p.m. at Methany Fieldhouse, while fourth-seeded W&J will host fifth-seeded Westminster at 7 p.m. at the Henry Memorial Center.

Tuesday’s first-round winners advance to Friday’s semifinal round, which will be hosted by top-seeded Bethany at Nutting Gymnasium. Friday's semifinals will feature Bethany taking on the winner of Tuesday’s #4 W&J-#5 Westminster match at 6 p.m., followed by second-seeded Thomas More meeting the winner of Tuesday’s #3 Geneva-#6 Grove City match at 8 p.m.

The championship match is set for Saturday, November 5 at 6 p.m. at Bethany’s Nutting Gymnasium.

Admission for all PAC Championship events is $5 for adults and $2 for students. Championship programs will be available for $1. PAC and institutional passes are not accepted at PAC Championship events. Students from PAC institutions will be admitted for free to events at their school with valid college identification.